The invention relates to a closure device for a container, in particular a glass container, having a container opening, wherein the closure device has a lid element for closing the container opening, a chamber arranged on the lid element and an inner housing, wherein chamber and inner housing have corresponding closing means and opening means, which interact with one another so that a discharge opening assigned to the chamber can be released by a movement of the lid element relative to the inner housing, so that a medium stored in the chamber can exit into the container, and the chamber and the inner housing each have a corresponding first thread which is formed relative to a thread axis of rotation.
Closure devices of the aforesaid type are known in the prior art. These serve to close a container, for example a drinks bottle and at the same time provide a chamber for separate storage of liquid or powdery ingredients, for example, tea essences so that these do not come in contact and/or are mixed with the contents of the container, i.e. for example water, directly during filling but only at the moment when the closure device is removed from the container. This is usually the moment when a user would like to consume the beverage located in the container.
The closure devices known in the prior art usually consist of a lid element on which the chamber is arranged and an inner housing. The closure device is usually screwed onto the container as a whole, i.e. fully pre-assembled. For this purpose the inner housing has a thread corresponding positively with the thread of the container. Furthermore, lid element and inner housing are interconnected via positively corresponding threads. During opening of the container, i.e. when unscrewing the lid element, the lid element—and therefore also the chamber arranged on the lid element—is moved relative to the inner housing. Preferably in particular in the case of unscrewing, this comprises a combined turning and vertical movement. In this case, the lid element is moved from a closing position to a discharge position in which discharge position a medium stored in the chamber can exit into the container. To this end chamber and inner housing have corresponding closure means and opening means for closing or opening the discharge opening. These corresponding closure and opening means can be formed on the inner housing, for example, in the form of a single stopper element arranged on the inner housing, wherein a first end region forms the closure means and a second end region forms the opening means. The stopper element depending on its position inside the outlet opening of the chamber prevents or allows an exit of the medium into the container. The closure or opening means can be formed on the chamber as a discharge opening, for example, as a receiver for the stopper element which in a first position cooperates with the closure and opening means of the inner housing so that no medium can exit from the chamber and in a second position so that medium can exit. Alternatively however the corresponding closure and opening means can also be separate elements which in any case do not cooperate directly in the closed state, such as for example a membrane closing the outlet opening of the chamber and a mandrel arranged on the inner housing. During a movement of the lid element relative to the inner housing, the closure means is destroyed by the opening means wherein the discharge opening of the chamber is released and the medium can exit into the container.
Known from US 2008/0314775 A1 is a closure device with a lid element, wherein the lid element is fastened to the chamber. The lid element is not fastened directly to the container. The known container is not fastened directly on the container. The known container can be opened at two points.
Known from US 2014/0110281 A1 is a closure device in which the lid element with first thread means is received in an adapter part and the adapter part for its part again with second thread means is screwed on the container. A twofold opening of the container is possible.
For the prior art reference is further made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,445 A and EP 0 520 207 A1.
The document WO 2007/129116 A1 (US 2009/0321286 A1) relates, for example, to a closure device according to the prior art for attachment to a container. The closure device comprises a lid element which defines a chamber and an inner housing with a stopper element which can be engaged sealingly in a discharge opening in a lower wall of the chamber. The lid element is provided with a thread which can engage in a corresponding thread of the inner housing to enable the lid element to be displaced relative to the inner housing from a closed position in which the stopper element closes the discharge opening of the chamber into a discharge position in which the stopper element is at least partially withdrawn from the discharge opening in order to release a discharge channel arranged between chamber and container.
Although closure devices of this type known in the prior art for closing plastic containers have proved successful, they are not readily suitable for the closure of glass containers. In particular, the known closure devices require a precise dimensioning of the container in the area of the container opening for an optimal tight fit and tightness. However these requirements frequently cannot be met during the manufacture of glass bottles.